


I Don't Think She Likes Me

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Korrasami Week 2018, Season 1, prompt: smile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 09:20:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16037534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: Asami Sato just met a girl who wouldn't give her the time of day. So why can't she get Korra out of her head?





	I Don't Think She Likes Me

The night was pleasantly cool, her family’s company was doing great, the Avatar was in town, and Asami Sato was strolling through the streets of Republic City in the arm of a tall and dashing athlete. She’d only met Mako the day before, and her father had only agreed to stake his team in the Pro Bending finals this morning… it has been a busy day, and an amazing one.

So why did she feel so… stiff? She wasn’t uncomfortable around Mako—he’d been nothing but a gentleman, so far. And she could tell her father approved. What was it?

“That was... some party, wasn’t it?” Mako asked. “Unless it wasn’t… I don’t exactly go to a lot of these.”

Asami laughed. If they kept dating, that very well could change. “Well, the crowd was pretty typical. The press conference at the end… that’s typical Tarrlok. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yeah! I mean, I guess I did… the food was great and there were a ton of really fascinating people I have nothing in common with…”

Asami shrugged. “Have nothing in common with, because you actually work for a living. My dad still has trouble with that set sometimes. There’s still some of them who see him as nothing but a stepped-up shoe shiner.”

Mako frowned. “That stinks.”

She chuckled, taking his hand. “Yeah, it does. But it’s not a big problem, and really, I’m the last person who should be complaining. I’ve had such a lucky life, for the most part…” She took a breath… this did not seem the time to bring up her mother. “There’s real problems to attend to. Besides, some people are coming around. That sort of change just takes a while to happen, you know?”

“I guess,” Mako agreed. “Though, maybe not as much, now that Korra is around.”

Asami frowned. He seemed to bring her up a lot. “She… didn’t seem particularly comfortable at the party. I’m not sure fiddling with Republic City’s social scene is top of her Avatar to-do list. Especially now that Tarrlok has sunk his claws into her…”

“Asami… everyone knows the man’s ambitious, but is there something more Korra should know about him?”

“Nothing I’m sure Master Tenzin hasn’t already told her.” A light drizzle started to set in, and Mako shrugged off his coat, draping it over her shoulders. She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“Want me to keep your hair dry, too?” he said. “It’s pretty light, some firebending could—”

“No,” she said, waving him off. “Us non-benders are used to getting a little wet. I won’t wash away.”

“Oh,” he said, lowering his hand to fidget at his side.

She smiled, placing a hand on his arm. “Thank you for offering, though.”

That seemed to smooth him over, mostly. Still, they walked past the next few government buildings in uncomfortable silence.

Mako was the first to break. “So, what did you think of Korra, anyway? You were eager to meet her.”

“I… was…” Asami admitted. “From everything I’ve heard about her, I was a little surprised to see her in a dress.”

“Yeah, that’s not her usual outfit. She looked good in it though.”

Asami nodded, thinking back to those bare arms. Lots of women bared their shoulders, but so few made such a _statement_ while doing it…

She slumped. “I don’t think she likes me very much.” It wasn’t like Korra was high-society… what reason could she have to dislike her? And why had that reaction stuck with her so?

“What?” Mako sputtered. “No way! You’re smart and funny and beautiful… how could she _not_ like you?”

Oh dear… Mako… really hadn’t been around women that much, had he? “Did you not see the irritated looks she was giving me?” Her eyes would be so pretty if they weren’t narrowed and scowling.

“I thought she was like that because Chief Beifong was being so hard on her. That woman is _scary_.”

Asami tilted her head. “That’s true… but she was scowling before Chief Beifong got there. I thought I was being friendly, but the way she looked at me… well, it was a lot worse than the look you gave me when we met, and I’d just ran you over!”

Mako chortled. “Well, in my defense, I hadn’t expected to meet such a beautiful woman.”

Asami thought about that strong, round Water Tribe face. She hadn’t gotten that good a look, but somehow she remembered every detail of it. “Neither had I.”

“Hmm?”

“Neither had she,” Asami said. Good thing Mako wasn’t looking, because the streetlights were definitely bright enough to show her blush. “So… is she normally like that?”

“Chief Beifong?”

“Korra!” Asami laughed, playfully slapping his arm.

Mako smiled, and shrugged. “I mean, she’s pretty energetic. At first, I thought she was smug, but that was before I found out she can back all that attitude up, you know?”

“Put your foot in your mouth a bit, did you?”

“Oh, big time,” Mako groaned. “She’s still new to city life, and she rushes into things sometimes.”

“Like, how she joined the Fire Ferrets without even understanding the rules.” Asami never made brash decisions like that… the potential humiliation would have kept her on the sidelines. And out of the glory.

“Like that, yeah. Or like this task force thing…”

The silence that walked with them was more thoughtful this time. Asami wasn’t sure what Tarrlok’s task force was really about--taking down Equalists was all well and good, but that man was definitely scheming at something. But if Korra was in the city to start taking charge as the Avatar and doing some good, it seemed a fine way to start.

“Are you afraid he’s going to take advantage of her, somehow?” Asami asked, more curious about his own thought than what Korra was going to do. “Or that it’ll interfere with practice for the tournament?”

“Practice! I hadn’t even thought of that!” He slapped his forehead.

Asami smirked. At least he wasn’t _entirely_ self-centered. “Well, try to go easy on her. Still getting used to the city, still getting used to the sport, now she has this task force duty, and she’s still learning airbending… she has a lot on her plate!”

“On her plate? Well, then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Asami looked up at him, quirking an eyebrow.

“You’ll get it once you see her eat.”

“Ah. Well… either way… I think I’m going to try to put a welcome package together. Really try to make her feel at home.”

“Oh?”

“Sure. Who doesn’t like gifts?”

“I dunno… I get the feeling she might get suspicious.”

“Suspicious? Why?”

“Because… well because it wasn’t her own idea, I think. I dunno, she’s tough to figure out.”

A puzzle, was she? Interesting. “She’s the Avatar and a pro bender and all the rest, but she’s also a seventeen year old who’s still learning about the city… no wonder she’s cranky.” She shook her head. “No, no that won’t do at all. I’m gonna get her to smile.”

“Smile?”

Asami nodded, still contemplating Korra’s face. She probably had a fantastic smile. “And laugh, if I can.”

“Are you going to be like this with all of my friends?”

“That depends. How many friends do you have?”

“Um… that’s it, actually.”

“Oh my… well then definitely,” Asami said. “You gotta treat your friends well, if you want to keep them around.”

“Oh. You must have a ton of friends, then.”

Asami’s mouth hung open for a moment. “I… that’s not the point.”

“Wait… are you saying you don’t?”

“Let’s just say, the elites think my family is too _nouveau riche,_ and everyone else is too intimidated to be friendly.”

“I’m… wow, Asami. I didn’t mean to--”

“It’s okay,” Asami said with a smile, wrapping her arm around his. “It’s okay. I’ve got you and Bolin. And if I play my tiles right, maybe Korra, too.”

“Well, Avatar or not, she’d be a fool _not_ to want to be your friend,” Mako said.

Asami nodded, contemplating everything a girl like Korra might be interested in. Makeup, clothes… worth a try maybe, but too conventional. Her engineering was too technical, it usually scared people away as she got deeper and deeper into detail… but it had to be something personal and unique to her, not just something that came with wealth…

“Asami?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was just… making some plans.”

“You’re… really serious about being friends with Korra, aren’t you?”

“Well, my family _is_ investing quite a bit of money on you three!” she joked.

Mako laughed, accepting the dodge. She laughed with him.

Korra’s laugh though--she would earn it. Whether it took days or weeks or months, she’d figure out what made the woman tick.

Somehow, the prospect calmed her down. She’d set a course of action, and once a Sato had done that, the deed was as good as done. So help her, she _would_ make Korra smile.

Knowing that was in her future made it easier to enjoy the rest of her night. She smiled for herself, and took Mako’s hand, and strode along with him, making small talk for hours.

How long had it been since she felt this… engaged? This exhilarated with her own life? She’d been craving a little excitement for so long. Things had been so predictable, lately. But she had a boyfriend now, who really seemed to care about her. Her father was happier than he’d been in years, and she was going to make friends with Korra, too… Change was in the air.  

Asami Sato knew, in that night, walking through the peaceful city in Mako’s arm, that everything was going to turn out amazing.

She couldn’t wait.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to itsavikingthing, picmonster50, and lasienaga for helping me polish this one! 
> 
>  
> 
> [Visit my tumblr! Say hi! ](https://threehoursfromtroy.tumblr.com/)


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